DGMC / SL

Folks, be informed that Seymour Duncan & DiMarzio pickups are now available at both Davis GMC & Swee Lee. I love both pickups but currently leaning towards Duncans due to the nature of my set up. 

Pics: SD / DiMarzio

Baked EVH

New one by EVH - Wolfgang Special Baked Maple TOM. New feature more like it because the Wolfgang Special was already a model in the catalog but that iteration has no fine tuning hardtail & the neck / fretboard are not the baked version. Late to the game? The EVH brand name is a member of the Fender group of brands so no surprises there. Fender is not known for not keeping up with the pack & this attitude inevitable spilled over unto the sub-brands as well. 

Pic: EVH

LM10

This is Luca Montovanelli's new signature, the LM10. He already had the LM1 (Japanese), this iteration is the more affordable take. Also, this version feature an HSS pickup combo, unlike the all single coil LM1. Both models do not feature Ibanez' Alter Switch system & this LM10 is a standard 5-way affair. The LM1 has a blender pot so it manifests more voicings than what the 5-way selector would traditionally offer.

Pic: Ibanez

Price watch (105)

This is something that is currently listed in the after-market. Seller stated it as no mods but 1) The hard tail piece is not an original model. The default piece from the factory feature slots as depicted 2) Pickups look different albeit the blurred details. Ibanez's Seymour Duncan IBZ humbuckers for this Ibanez SZ2020 only featured a single row of slotted pole pieces as depicted.

In due fairness, the seller might not be aware of these changes as s/he is not the initial owner of this instrument. 

The Crown

Was at the hospital recently for a medical review. I'm into my 5th year of post-cancer treatment. The thing with cancer is, the 5th year is a sensitive period where there is a possible relapse for some patients. I hope to get a full discharge this coming October if everything goes well.

Side note - in addition to blood tests, I also have to undergo physical examinations to check if the chemo side effects are affecting me excessively. As it is, I'm experiencing nerve damage, which is nothing new, but it's beginning to affect one of my eyes - this is new. It seems that the nerves there have deteriorated & affecting the ability of my pupil to dilate & react to light intensity. Over time, the excessive amount of light might cause retinal damage & manifest this type of blindness where there's a permanent dark patch in the center of my vision. 

That definitely killed my appetite for lunch. Did a quick escape to think things through over a glass of cold brew. By the way, if you are interested (depicted above), this is called The Crown, available at Whiskdom@OneNorth.

Wishing everyone the best of health.

The locking argument

The default tuners of this guitar got wonky. The pegs & shafts were wobbly. Tuning wasn't stable when the guitar was in use. Decided to spend some money (saving up to buy a new computer, actually) to get locking tuners. Didn't go premium, just a set of decent ones to see things through. This episode is my attempt to understand if locking mechanisms, in this case the ones at the tuners, contribute to tuning stability or the purported belief in these contraptions got misconstrued along the way.

To be continued...

Pre-owned @ Black Crane

There are currently a few pre-owned Edwards models at Black Crane Guitars. These are one-offs, if you are quick, you would get to own ridiculously well-maintained instruments which could have easily passed off as brand new. I dropped by to take a look at these guitars personally, only the E-LP-STD is available ($1,400), the rest - a Navigator & two other Edwards - were sold off. Stay tuned for more enticing pre-owned Edwards in the near future.

Pic: ESP Japan

Dino @ Kiesel

Fear Factory's Dino Cazarez is now in the Kiesel camp. His signature guitars are based on the headless Kyber model. No 6 strings in the mean time, just 7 & 8.

Pic: Kiesel

Ed 2K

The Ed Sheeren PRS SE is now available at Swee Lee for $2,150. When the SE line debuted in 2001, it was in the $600 +/- price bracket, truly aimed at the beginner / hobbyist. Who would have expected an SE to actually exceed the $2K limit today. I find the SE & S2 prices repulsive. To be fair, they were objective in the beginning but became ridiculous very quickly. The endorser association compounded the situation, definitely. In my opinion, endorsers should not interfere with the economy tiered products.

Pic: PRS

Pocket

This neck pocket belongs to the Ibanez AZ41B1 which I appraised recently (CLICK to read). It came in for a re-string & set up. When this body was sprayed at the factory, the pocket wasn't spared. However, during the neck - body attachment, the fit was excessively tight so this part of the pocket had to be sanded down. Is a very tight neck pocket preferred? No - it might stress the fragile areas out & we get a paint crack at this part of the instrument.

Satin metallic

Fender Japan has this new finish for the Hybrid II Series, it's called satin metallic. Instruments feature an alder body, rosewood 'board & locking tuners. I love that satin feel since the Highway 1 days. Rest assured, this satin version is definitely not the Highway 1 version when it's excessively thin & very prone to dents. I also like that very clean look over at the headstock. If you missed it, the hardware here sports a metallic sheen to it as well.

Pics: Fender Japan

SOLAR Sus

If you have been wanting a SOLAR guitar with a Sustainiac system on board + a pickguard, this AP1.6FRG is it. If there's something we noticed about SOLAR guitars, it is the fact that the manufacturer will include features that are popular in other brands. It's not an immediate manifestation but it happens along the way.

Once again, SOLAR would like us to know that this is one of those finished neck that has a satin feel instead of a gloss overcoat.

Pics: SOLAR

BEAMed here

The Blackstar Beam mini is now in stock at City Music ($255). Tempting. Waiting for LANEY's Prism Mini to be available here to make the final decision.

Pic: Blackstar

G-EC flame

Grass Root's G-EC debuted in September 2024 & now its flame veneer top iteration is here for your consideration. LTD's prices are going out of hand in the mean time. We thank ESP for the Edwards & Grassroots for us commoners.

Pic: ESP

Brutal truth

So Ibanez deleted my comments at their FB page. I'm not offended at all. I saw & told them what's plain to see. They have the right to manage comments in the interest of self-preservation. I have the right to tell them not to shove hot air down our throats in order to sell their products. In case you missed it, it's depicted above.

In brief: Tokai LS-101

There are many Japanese Les Paul copies out there that would make Gibson tremble when it comes to craftsmanship & tone. Tokai makes such guitars. These Japanese manufacturers are not tied down by historical / period correct details. They prefer to manifest details that propel their goodwill above all else.

LIKES

• craftsmanship
• tone
• playability

DISLIKE

• weight

This is definitely not my first time handling a Japanese Les Paul copy. I've been through Burny, Orville & Edwards among others. The LS-101 on appraisal here is a cut above the rest to say the least. The quality control is mesmerising. Just by handling this guitar, we could see that dedicated time & effort were invested into this instrument to make it feel upscaled. 

The neck carve on offer is a round '50s profile, enough meat to propel a good grip & facilitate bends. Some appraisals out there mentioned an overkill of finish done here to make it too processed. This audition model did not show any signs of excessive finishing, especially the final lacquer overcoat. I'm not a fan of finished necks but this one is downright playable & addictive. Frets were also well polished & seated so no issues here to fault the attention to details. 

We certainly do not expect a guitar of this pedigree to propel high gain / extreme distortion. These were manufactured to replicate (at best) a certain vibe often associated with the charm & lure of yesteryear. The default pickups here are GOTOHs, the PAF-Vintage MK2 to be precise (both positions). What do they sound like? To summarize my experience after hearing both the clean & driven settings, they are as good as Gibson's 57 models. 

Would anyone go all out to invest in a Tokai copy of a much celebrated singlecut model? It depends on what you embrace. At this price, many of us would check out what Epiphone has to offer before forking out extras to go Japanese.

Rating: 88%

Tokai LS101 ($1,850)

• bag included
• available at Davis GMC

USED: Jan 2026 - April 2026

Not much re-stringing this time round. Only a small cookie container full.

TEJ

After some digging, I found out this is a Fernandes TEJ-75 model. I am the third owner of this guitar, the second owner had scant info that he gladly shared with me. The body's previous finish was stripped down & re-finished with what looked like a gold top. There were numerous scratches on the guitar body so I gladly re-finished it in blue with a light glitter coat.

Here are the scratches, evidently, I didn't use a filler before applying the blue coat. This was intentional because I used whatever colours I have in the mean time, I obviously did not have any fillers 😅 The glitter coat was meant for another guitar but it made its debut here. The pickups in there are DiMarzio Distortion S models. Was told the previous pickups were active units but I am not a fan. I prefer angry passive pickups.

Will continue to use Olympia strings as long as they are still available. 

Labour

In every economy, labour continues to be the spine of progress. Disrespecting labour is telling them to exercise restraint in an economic downturn for the greater good without toeing the line with them. 

Happy Labour Day, everyone. Your blood, sweat & tears define your country. Onwards!

Ibanez April 2026: B

Ending April in the knowledge that Ibanez actually added more to the AZES lineup instead of doing away with this series entirely. We would have thought the AZ Standard would be the new spruced up entry-level models for the AZ family but heck no. The AZES are still active in the mean time. There is an AZES40 already in the lineup, the AZES40B - that B there denotes black pickguard.

Pics: Ibanez